A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 5 Test – Shared Memories: Recounting Social & Family Events 7
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 5 Test – Shared Memories: Recounting Social & Family Events
Test 1
Questions 25-30
For each question, write the correct answer. Write one word for each gap.
From: Olivia
To: Chloe
Hi Chloe,
Did you hear the terrible thunderstorm last night? It woke me up (25) ……………… exactly 2 a.m. There was (26) ……………… lot of loud rain and wind outside.
Our poor dog, Buster, was very scared. He ran into my bedroom and hid under the bed. I tried to hold him, (27) ……………… he was too frightened. I sat (28) ……………… the floor next to him until the storm finally stopped. I also gave (29) ……………… a warm blanket to sleep on.
What time (30) ……………… you finish your classes today? Maybe we can take him for a nice walk later.
See you,
Olivia
Answer Key & Explanations
25 at
– Why it's right: We always use the preposition at when we talk about exact clock times, like at 2 a.m. or at half past four.
– Why not 'in': We use in for parts of the day (like in the morning), but never for specific clock times.
26 a
– Why it's right: The word a is needed to complete the very common A2 phrase a lot of, which means a large amount.
– Why not 'the': You cannot say the lot of when describing a large quantity of something like rain or wind.
27 but
– Why it's right: We use the conjunction but to connect two opposing ideas (she tried to hold him, but he was too scared).
– Why not 'because': The word because introduces a reason, but being frightened is the reason he wouldn't let her hold him, not the result of it.
28 on
– Why it's right: We use the preposition on to talk about sitting or standing on a flat surface, like on the floor or on the table.
– Why not 'in': We use in for 3D spaces or containers, but a floor is a flat surface.
29 him
– Why it's right: We need the object pronoun him after the verb gave to show who received the blanket (Buster, the male dog).
– Why not 'he': The word he is a subject pronoun, but here the dog is receiving the action, so we must use the object form.
30 do
– Why it's right: We use the auxiliary verb do to start a present simple question with the pronoun you.
– Why not 'are': We cannot use are here because the main verb in the sentence (finish) is in its base form, not an -ing form.
Test 2
Questions 25-30
For each question, write the correct answer. Write one word for each gap.
My amazing weekend!
Last Saturday, I went to a cafe (25) ……………… my best friend, Sarah. We (26) ……………… drinking hot chocolate and talking about school. Suddenly, a man walked into the cafe. I looked (27) ……………… his face and I knew he was my favourite actor! He was wearing a big hat, (28) ……………… I still knew it was him. Sarah asked him to take (29) ……………… photo with us, and he said yes. He was very kind to us. It was (30) ……………… best day of my life, because we met a famous person in our small town!
Answer Key & Explanations
25 with
– Why it's right: We use 'with' to say we are doing an activity together alongside another person.
– Why not 'by': We use 'by' to talk about how we travel (like 'by bus'), but we do not use it to say who we are spending time with.
26 were
– Why it's right: We need the past tense of the verb 'to be' to make the past continuous tense (were drinking). We use 'were' because the subject 'we' is plural.
– Why not 'are': The word 'are' is for the present tense, but this story happened in the past ("Last Saturday").
27 at
– Why it's right: In English, when we direct our eyes to see something specific, we always use the preposition 'at' after the verb 'look' (look at).
– Why not 'to': We can 'go to' a place or 'listen to' something, but the correct fixed phrase for our eyes is always 'look at'.
28 but
– Why it's right: We use 'but' to connect two opposite or surprising ideas. The hat was meant to hide his face, but the writer surprisingly recognized him anyway.
– Why not 'so': We use 'so' to talk about a result. Wearing a big hat wouldn't result in making him easier to recognize!
29 a
– Why it's right: We use the article 'a' in the common, fixed phrase 'take a photo', which means to capture one single picture.
– Why not 'the': We only use 'the' if we already talked about a specific photo before, but this is a brand new photo they want to take.
30 the
– Why it's right: We always use 'the' before superlative adjectives (words ending in -est, like 'best', 'fastest', or 'tallest').
– Why not 'a': You cannot use 'a' with the word 'best' because 'best' means the number one thing, and there is only one!
Test 3
Questions 25-30
For each question, write the correct answer. Write one word for each gap.
From: Paul
To: David
Hi David,
I want to tell you (25) ……………… my summer holidays. Last July, my parents and I went (26) ……………… a big family party in the countryside. We stayed there (27) ……………… a whole weekend. It was amazing (28) ……………… there were more than fifty people! I met some cousins that I didn't know before. My uncle cooked lots (29) ……………… delicious food on a big fire. We played football in the garden and had a great time. (30) ……………… you do anything special last summer? Please write back soon!
Answer Key & Explanations
25 about
– Why it's right: We use the preposition "about" after the verb "tell" to introduce the subject or topic we are sharing.
– Why not 'of': We don't say "tell you of"; the correct English phrase is almost always "tell someone about" a topic.
26 to
– Why it's right: We use the preposition "to" to show the direction or destination when someone travels somewhere (went to a party).
– Why not 'at': We use "at" when we are already staying in a place, but here Paul is talking about travelling to the event.
27 for
– Why it's right: We use the preposition "for" to talk about how long an activity lasts or a period of time, like "a whole weekend".
– Why not 'since': We use "since" to point to a specific starting time in the past (like "since Friday"), not for a length of time.
28 because
– Why it's right: We use the conjunction "because" to give the reason why the party was so amazing.
– Why not 'but': We use "but" to connect opposite ideas, but here Paul is explaining the reason for his positive feelings.
29 of
– Why it's right: When we want to talk about a large amount of something, we always use the fixed phrase "a lot of" or "lots of".
– Why not 'for': We never say "lots for" when describing how much of something we have.
30 Did
– Why it's right: We need the auxiliary verb "Did" to make a past simple question because Paul is asking about an event in the past (last summer).
– Why not 'Do': We don't use "Do" because that asks a general question about present habits, not about a finished past time.